“We need a Security Council modeled after Europe and the United States.”

His Excellency Mr. Mateo Perego de Cremenago, in your capacity as Undersecretary of the Ministry of Defence, I have brought forward a proposal for the creation of the National Security Council. Why do you think it was necessary to create this control room in Palazzo Chigi?

“The proposal was submitted a few days ago by Senator Craxi to include it in the work program of the Senate Defense Committee. I personally drew attention to this issue more than two years ago in the House of Representatives with a bill on this matter. I believe it is necessary because to effectively deal with the threats present in the current scenarios, continuous monitoring and prevention measures are necessary to protect national interests. The whole thing lies in the fact that security and the national interest can be protected by using all the tools available to the state in a coherent and integrated manner, without repetition and optimal exploitation of the available resources.

What value would the National Security Adviser’s number have, even in the international projection?

“We do not invent anything, we borrow figures who are already in the international arena, such as France, Germany and England or like the US National Security Adviser who works as a personal advisor to the President and manages matters related to national security. The value is strategic, and the director has the task of providing all necessary information to the chairman of the board with all possible options, evaluating the risks associated with each of them and involving all board members in the decision-making process. And we are talking about a global scenario moving from a national problem to one in a global crisis zone.

What competencies should fall under the supervision of a national security advisor?

“The terms of reference would affect the powers of the different departments that, in different ways, deal with security in a tangential way. It is necessary to bring together the best energies of the state and each actor of the council can, in fact, maintain the direction of the responsibilities already entrusted to him, possibly with the possibility of benefiting from the external cooperation considered necessary and within the limits of the financial resources already allocated.

Do you think that the ministries concerned (defence, foreign affairs, companies and ministries made in Italy, interior) can really be said to be ready to give up part of their competencies in favor of creating this structure?

«Here, I believe that no one should concede anything, on the contrary, the competences of the departments are essential to coordinate all issues in the Security Council. There is talk of ensuring a link between the different responsibilities of the ministries to make them more effective to encourage the work of the Prime Minister through more verticality, which among other things the era of the Covid-19 pandemic has taught him to be essential. Among the functions that I would like to see clearly are related to the transfer and promotion of guidelines on investments for the defense sector as well as key national companies and for the protection of assets and infrastructures of national strategic importance, and at the same time, the promotion of policies related to defense sectors through international military missions and foreign policy.